Telecommunication systems are increasing in complexity and bandwidth. In addition, content distributors have increasing numbers of options available for distribution to their customers. In many instances, content distributors often operate with content providers to provide content tailored to customers in different regions. Providing content to those customers is a complicated hurdle for distributors, and the technology behind that distribution is always changing. However, much of the technology being used for distribution backbones has remained fairly stagnant in recent years.
Distributors may encounter situations where content must be delivered to one customer but not another. For example, a distributor may have a sports broadcast intended for a customer in Washington, and another broadcast might be better suited for customers in California. In another example, a football game might be scheduled to air in a particular time slot on a particular channel, but if the tickets to the game do not sell out, contractual obligations might require that the football game not be aired to households in an area (e.g., a blackout area) around the stadium. In such examples, the distributor might have to insert new content to fill the timeslot that would ordinarily have carried the football game. Such a swapping in, and swapping out, of content can be a complicated process, and there remains an ever-present need for improved ways to carry out this swapping.